Ithaca Davidson

Interview By Debra Mauldin

Early on in the book, you are accused of always quoting the Bible. Can you tell us why?

I don’t think there is a more quotable source of information than the Holy Bible. Every word in it is the truth, so why not use it to emphasize my point? Even if you’ve never read a word of God’s Word, you can still acknowledge the truth contained within it. And I try to use that truth to illustrate the truth in what I’m trying to say. Every word of God is pure. He is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

Did you see yourself as the conscience of the company, Baal?

Yes, I did, and I am unashamed of that. When you work in a corporate environment as long as I have, and at any job, really, you’re going to see a lot of workplace politics and doubledealing. Shady alliances, backstabbing and sabotaging others are the rule and not the exception. I’ve seen many people come and go through Baal, their careers sidetracked or destroyed, simply because they made an enemy of the wrong person at the wrong time. That’s not what I stand for, and I consider it my responsibility to fight that culture at every opportunity.

You tried to warn Elijah, several times, about power, and how it could change a man. How did you feel when he rejected you time after time?

I admit it’s hard to not take rejection personally. But to be fair, Elijah wasn’t the first one who rejected me, and he wasn’t the last. “Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.” I think Elijah might have stung a bit more because I was working so closely with him every day, and it was easier to see not only the trajectory of his character, but also where I had thepportunity to reverse it before it got him into some serious trouble. I failed.

Why did you start a Bible study group at Baal?

Why not? You have to understand that the only way to reverse a culture of corruption is to instill habits of righteousness. For me, starting a Bible study group was a step in that process. And it wasn’t like nobody came. Sheila from accounting was one of our most consistent attendees. At some level, I believe everyone at Baal was exposed to theJudeau-Christian-Islamic view of God at some point in time. They have been exposed to the Bible in some way, shape or form. I just gave them an avenue to deeper explore that and encourage some more positive behavior in the process.

In the end, you and Elijah end up collaborating to find your way to Claudius Webster. Can you tell us why the two of you decided to trust one another and work together?

Know this: I am not Elijah’s enemy. I never was. Yes, we clashed often while working together, but I was always on the side of righteousness. After the ordeals he had been put through, he finally saw things the way I’ve always seen them. And plus, we both had lives at stake: he was trying to rescue his wife and child, and I’m trying to find my sister. And despite escaping that abominable building, our mission still isn’t over. I’m still searching for my sister, and we will not rest until we have reunited our families and made Webster and his cronies pay for their evil.